“It’s something I’ve had as far back as I can remember,” He shrugged and left off the part about about it being because of his magic. After all… that part wasn’t important. “It does save a lot of money though. And there’s always the occasional monster or group of highwaymen to keep my skills sharp.”

“And to be honest, It was a welcome break from crowded cities,” He continued as he took his turn to lean on a nearby pillar. “The open peacefulness of nature, as brutal as it is sometimes, is relaxing.”

With his answer out of the way, and her question out there, he had to think of a question. It took him a long moment before a good one came his way. There were, of course, some bad ones. After the wet white shirt, his mind drifted in that direction slightly. But he willed himself to be decent.

“How did you end up in Blue Pegasus?” He asked tilting his head slightly. The reason’s why one fought often told a lot about their character. And friends worried about character right? He honestly didn’t know anymore. He thought he knew but then Kotone left. So he was uncertain about what to look for.

“I’ve spent time camping,” Cerys agreed cheerfully. She had done some traveling for a bit, for both pleasant and unpleasant reasons, but she’d always enjoyed getting to spend time outdoors, so long as it didn’t get too cold outside. She wasn’t the toughest girl, so she did get cold sometimes - especially when she’d lost too much blood. “It’s pretty fun, even when you’re alone. I’m not the best cook though, so meals are generally a bit boring.” Cerys admitted. She’d been camping during her travels a bit lately as she did a bit of ‘field research’ on Shadow Heart and the Crusaders who both threatened Fiore.

Raven asked her how she ended up joining Blue Pegasus after a moment for his question, which made her wonder if he was interested in guilds. He didn’t seem the type, but then when she’d entered the building, he hadn’t seemed like someone who would bother building her a fire either. “It’s not that complicated, really.” She admitted. “I was learning magic and I needed a place where I could have help, away from my less magically inclined sisters where they wouldn’t get hurt. So… I joined Blue Pegasus because I recognized Master Jora and came all the way out to the guild hall. I think I was about thirteen.”“Alright,” Since she had explained her joining, she decided it was her turn again. “My turn again. What’s been eating me was why you insist on being alone. I mean, the way you talk… I would assume you’ve never had many… or any friends. Is that even possible?”

Raven silently listened, giving a knowing nod. Magic was a burden at first, no matter who you were. The lack of control would hurt people, destroy things, and eventually lead to self destruction. He’d seen it so many times since the war ended. There weren’t as many skilled wizards able or willing to train the upcoming generation. Raven didn’t consider himself able to, given the nature of his magic.

She’d also mentioned being in the guild since she was thirteen. Judging by how her body looked, she had to be much older than that now. And he doubted, as dumb as the guilds were, that they’d be so stupid as to put a child in what was essentially second in command of the guild. He still had some faith in them, even if they’d royally screwed up in his opinion.

“I sound like it because I haven’t really,” Raven shrugged from where he stood. “Like I said, one’s dead and the other’s out of reach for now. Both were my fault. I wasn’t there when they needed me. I won’t sling excuses around about it.”

“The other reason…” Raven tapped his bicep idly as he spoke. “My father was… powerful. At least in the sense of what we consider strength and magic power. He taught me to rely on myself, because the task he gave me was so important to him that he couldn’t trust it to a bunch of people. I think maybe I took his lessons about self reliance a little too literal, but I haven’t been distracted from my mission. Well.. much.”

Cerys Whitman, Ace of Blue Pegasus, was twenty, to be exact. She’d been with the guild for seven years, which was nearly a third of her life. Her guild was almost as much her family as her family. Maybe even more so, considering she’d lost track of her sisters. However her body happened to look to Raven, she was an adult, just like he assumed. She was also still young, and might have been insulted by the ‘much older’ comment he’d made in his brain. She knew that she was young, and Jora had reminded her of that about thirty times during their last talk about what she should be doing as the Ace.

Cerys let Raven talk, saying he was the reason the people he’d been close to weren’t exactly close to him. He also talked about some father he had who had considered something so important that he’d taught Raven magic and gave him the same task. He was vague, vague enough that part of her actually allowed herself to wonder if Raven knew what his task was. “You seem pretty distracted to me,” Cerys told him, standing up and grabbing her jacket now that both it and her were dried off by the heat of the fire. “There’s a lot of stuff going on in that noggin. I’d wager some of it pretty unpleasant. I’ve got my share of that too. You know know what the key is?”

Cerys pulled her jacket on, zipping it up for more warmth. “The key is not letting it get the better of you. You though-“ The Blue Pegasus Ace poked Raven in the chest a little hard, but she figured he could take it. “You trying to run away from people and attachments people naturally form is letting it get the better of you, isn’t it? You spend a lot of time running and trying to push people away, and it distracts you from what you should be doing, and what a friend or three might even be able to support you with so you can keep going when things are hard.” Cerys stepped back to the fire, enjoying it. She placed her hands on her hips. “At any rate, you forgot to ask a question, if you still want to do that.”

“You’re probably right,” He murmured quietly and looked to the side. He didn’t like to admit he was wrong. He had lived life fighting because he was right. Because humanity needed fixing and he couldn’t rely on any of them. Why rely on the broken gro- His train of thought rammed into a realization, and he had to suppress the urge to laugh bitterly.

She was right though, not everything running through his head was pleasant. And he thought he hadn’t let it slow him down or distract him. But she was better at understanding him than he himself at the moment. And it wasn’t the alcohol talking, he hadn’t had enough for that.

“Well…” Thunder cracked rather close to where they were staying. It was a reminder about how ornery mother nature had decided to be in the first place. He took a thoughtful look for a minute, trying to think of something to ask. That’s when an idea finally hit him, though there was a soft blush on his face. “You mentioned you have sisters. What’s it like to have siblings? I wouldn’t know since I was an only child, and father wasn’t keen on picking up more.”

Cerys seemed to be resonating with Raven, whether he liked it or not. It was good. She wasn’t yet personally invested in his life, but considering that one, she represented her guild and needed to make a good impression - even if that meant going out of her way to help someone, and two, she had nothing better to do during the storm. Still, it made her smile to see him mentally kicking himself for whatever he’d been thinking. It just meant there was hope for him, as far as she could tell.

She’d been pretty bad a couple of years ago when she’d nearly done some things she would have regretted greatly. Her magic was powerful, but it made her feel like a mindless animal at times. Right now wasn’t about her though, it was about this Raven guy in front of her. She nodded at his admission of her being right, but didn’t say anything, lest it anger or upset him and undo whatever was starting to go on in his head.

He changed the subject, which Cerys didn’t really mind. He asked what it was like to have sisters. Or rather, what it was like to have siblings in general. She leaned over to the wall next to the fire, letting out a sigh. “I don’t know what it’s like to have brothers,” she admitted. “But with six sisters I know very well what it’s like to have those. It’s pretty crazy at times, but that’s mostly because of how many I had, and because dad raised us on his own. I actually ended up helping a lot. I’m the second youngest. My younger sister is seventeen by now.” She’d written a letter to her for her birthday, but hadn’t gotten anything back. Bailey had always been bad at writing back. She was an introverted child, usually with her nose buried in a book.

“As for what it’s like specifically to have a sibling… That’s kind of hard to explain. They’re people you live with. You love them and you care for them, but sometimes you hate them and want to yell at them. You’re really close, even if you don’t do a lot together. Though… when they get older and move away, I suppose things can change a bit. I’m the only wizard in my family last I checked.” Things could change. She doubted it though. Most people started decently early or not at all.

She looked at Raven’s style of dress again, a grin spreading across her face. He even tried to keep people on their toes the way he dressed. He looked like a punk. He wanted to be a punk, or at least he wanted people to think he wanted to be a punk. He seemed like a lost kid at the moment though. “Tell me about your magic, Mister guildless wizard,” she decided. “You might as well tell me about something you must be proud of doing too. Not just the stuff you’re ashamed of.”

Raven drank in everything Cerys said, and couldn’t help the frown that crossed his face. The way she described what her relationship with her sisters sounded a lot like him and Kotone. Right now he hated her… well, that was a strong word for it. But under that he still cared about her. And now he felt bad for different reasons. His crimson eyes slid shut as he stood there.

He would have to talk to Kotone again. He didn’t relish the idea, especially after how he left. But… He did miss her. Not on a romantic level, but as someone who could really understand him. He could make friends like Cerys, and probably be close to them. But he doubted she, and others he met, would truly understand his power and his past like Kotone would.

“Huh?” Her question snapped him from his thoughts. She wanted to know about his magic? Well, that part was easy. He held out his hand and a small fire hovered just over his palm. “I was taught how to use fire magic.”

“I think I was taught differently than most though,” Raven said with a nod as it changed shape to a small butterfly that floated around his arm before fluttering to safe distance in front of her face. It glowed orange and red, and left little embers as it’s wings moved. “I was taught to rely on my heart when I harness magic, and not my head. Father said since strength came from the will of the heart, my magic should match. So I can do fun things with it besides blow things up. Though, when I get riled up my magic does get a little out of hand...The stories you hear about Flametongue… That’s me. Well, those stories are exaggerated. ...Probably.”

Raven was surprisingly introverted in his way of thinking for the image he wanted to put out. It was like nothing about him was genuine. Like he wanted to lie to you and make you think he was exactly who he wasn’t, and he didn’t know how to handle people figuring anything out. Unfortunately for him, Cerys had experience with people. She was smart, and she had her share of secrets. She knew a bit what keeping one looked like. She watched the butterfly in front of her face, leaning back slightly from the heat. Butterfly was an interesting choice… “I was taught differently too,” she told him just as vaguely. She was pretty sure that whatever secrets he had, hers were worse. Even if she hadn’t set out to learn dark magic, she most certainly had, and she knew it best not to advertise without need.

“The heart is a powerful weapon indeed. It keeps people fighting when their bodies and minds would have given out long ago.” Cerys nodded to herself. “Flametongue… I would have never guessed Flametongue was a lonely pretty boy who dressed like a biker,” she chuckled. Even if he had been worse than he was acting, Cerys honestly wasn’t afraid. She was strong, after all, and could take care of herself. “I’ve got a nickname too. I didn’t pick it, though, so I don’t really go by it.” Cerys shrugged her shoulders contentedly. She’d tell him if he wanted. Whether he would recognize her or not was honestly up in the air. Most of the people who had heard of her were people who had a reason to fear her. She didn’t really want to be feared. She was actually quite happy to have her position and the trust of at least most of her guild.

Well, she didn’t react negatively to his name. Usually there was stories of things exploding, and lots of fire. And it did put people off. But he supposed if one reached Ace, they would have to be fairly fearless. It was a nice change of pace. But just like her, he could tell when something was to be avoided. So he let go of her nickname since she didn’t mention it outside admitting she had one.

Instead he shrugged, and felt a slight blush cross his face again. He didn’t spend a whole lot of time getting compliments. He always left before he could get showered in thanks, since he never wanted to be a hero. He hadn’t wanted to get bogged down in people’s thanks. They needed to learn to move forward without being led.

“I’m a pretty boy huh?” He asked quietly as his gaze shifted to the fire. He wished he could eat some of it. Maybe if she went to sleep… But until then he wouldn’t do anything with it. The butterfly finally went out, turning into embers that floated away. “I’ve been called a lot of things. Never anything fun like that though. I suppose that’s something else I can chalk up to my lifestyle.”

“I’ve been called a lot of things. Never anything fun like that though. I suppose that’s something else I can chalk up to my lifestyle.” Now that, Cerys found amusing. Not just because apparently he’d been less pathetic with his sleaziness before now, or whatever else he might have meant. Admittedly she hoped it had to do with the sleaziness just because it made his failure with her all the more amusing. Poor other women before her though. “You know, I just told someone else that the other day,” Cerys chuckled. “I prefer not to say them in polite company.” She doubted he was polite company.

“Yeah, pretty boy. Some people are eye candy. It’s not necessarily their fault, it’s just how things work. Like how you were looking at me. I promise all I do is take care of myself and do the hair and eyeliner,” she adjusted her jacket as the butterfly disappeared. Cerys actually did care about looking nice, but it was more about pride in her appearance than real vanity. She just happened to also like to look in the mirror and see someone people wouldn’t mind ogling, whether she was actually comfortable with the act or not.

“So what about Flametongue?” Cerys asked Raven curiously. “I’m guessing it doesn’t actually have to do with your tongue, since you seem to be avoiding girlfriends. Not just the name,” she corrected before he assumed she was just asking about his name. “What about Flametongue himself? What has he been up to in order to get a name like that? It takes a lot to get a nickname like that, even if it’s just a lot of PR with the right or wrong people.”

“I didn’t assume you went heavy on the makeup,” Raven shrugged slightly. His might have been because of his magic. He didn’t know the full extent of which his magic had changed his body. For all he knew his well sculpted body could have been, in large part, because of the magic. “Like you said… some people just naturally have a nice body.”

“The nickname…” Raven sighed and let himself slowly slide down into a sitting position. “I wasn’t involved in the war. I lived far to the west. It was far from council resources, so bandits were a prevalent thing. I would often go in to deal with them.”

“But being alone, and a teenager, made it difficult to storm in without some kind of plan,” Raven chuckled slightly. He was telling the truth. He simply wasn’t saying how he actually breathed fire to make it look like he could. “Feel free to laugh, but I made it look like I could breath fire. Magic was much more scarce out there, and so most of them didn’t know how to react to a crazy teenage boy who could supposedly breath fire. Then they started calling me ‘Flametongue’ and it stuck. Sometimes they’d get away, and my new name kind of spread. I don’t have a last name, so I just use it as such.”

Heavy on the makeup… now that was a recipe for disaster for someone who tended to get hot and sweaty, especially in a fight. No, she mostly made due with her natural good looks, which she was mostly aware of because Raven wasn’t the first guy to admit to it. “I try,” Cerys admitted. “Unfortunately, I do tend to go a bit crazy in relationships… I gave my last date a matching t-shirt with our pictures on it to wear on our second date…” she blushed a bit. At least she knew she was crazy sometimes. She just somehow got into a mindset where the stupidest things seemed like great and fun ideas… even if she barely knew the person.“Er, anyway, yeah. Sounds like you’re a resourceful guy. Maybe you can think on your feet after all, when you actually want results.” Cerys slid down to sit as well, across from him but still close to the fire. “But no last name sounds… didn’t you just talk about your father?” She was mildly confused. She realized he probably was someone who only had someone who he called a father. There were a lot of those in a country that had been fighting semi-constantly for a long while now. Cerys was honestly lucky to have a mostly unbroken family, and she knew it.

“Well,” Raven chuckled from his spot. He gave her a more bemused look as he looked back at her. She was dry for the most part now, thanks to having been near the fire. “I’m no expert on relationships, having never actually gotten into one. But I think that just shows you’re dedicated and loyal, if you’re willing to wear something like that.”

He didn’t add that he wouldn’t in public, if only to avoid leaving himself open. His first friend and crush died on him because he was more open about it. He wouldn’t deny it, but he wouldn’t be out advertising that he was either.

“Ah… right…” Raven closed his eyes and shrugged slightly when she brought up the fact that his father. He rested his chin on his knees and somehow didn't look pitiful. “Truth is, I don’t even know my birth name. I was born in the lawless west. The little hamlet I was born it was burned down when I was too little to remember.”

“When my father saw the smoke, he came to see what was going on,” He continued with a quiet voice. “I was the only one left alive that he he found. And I was covered head to toe in black soot. So he called me Raven, because I was as black as the bird when he found me. At least that’s the story he told me when I asked. I was too young to remember any of it. He never did give me a last name either. I didn’t know they were important once I was on my own, so I simply took what people labeled me with.”

Cerys let out a chuckle at Raven’s observation about her overly zealous behavior. What he saw as dedication and loyalty, most people saw as moving too fast and clingy, possibly even a little bit crazy. At least according to what her last two boyfriends and that one girl had said. She really needed to learn to control herself better. “I wish it were that easy, Flametongue,” she answered as she chuckled. “That’s not how people see it though, trust me. I’d probably have a husband by now. Or, you know, whomever I fell in love with.”“So your dad found you as an orphaned baby way out west? I didn’t know many people went out there these days,” she admitted. People had virtually forgotten about that when there was so much to rebuild here. There were still a lot of things to do to get back to how they used to be even without all the trouble going on. “It’s an interesting way to get a name like you have, that’s for sure.”

Cerys decided to lie down on the wood next to the fire, looking over at Raven. As she laid her head on her arms, which were linked behind her head, she let out a sigh even as a branch or something slammed into the wall with a thwack. The fire was now the only light she had to see by, since it was dark. “Anything else you want to know, or are you tired of this game?”

“I did say I was no expert,” Raven chuckled quietly. He stayed where he was when she layed down and grinned slightly. “I think if I had known how to approach her about it, I might have ended up in one a long time ago. Might not be here if I had. But all I know about it is from watching people as I work. Which probably isn’t enough.”

"Hmm…” He frowned at her question. He wasn’t tired of it… on the contrary he was having fun. There was no fighting, no clashing of egos, and very few feelings that he didn’t understand at play. But that didn’t help him think of a question… He never knew what to actually ask in these situations. So he continued hoping to buy a little time. “Yeah, there were a lot of people in small towns and villages out west. When the war happened, the main routes out got cut off. I had to climb over the mountains to get out.”

“Since you made it to Ace, I’m assuming you’ve seen quite a bit of action,” Raven commented finally finding a foothold. He didn’t really ask too much in the way of mundane things.... but he didn’t know what else to talk about. “Got any fun stories you feel like sharing? Also, I’m having a lot more fun than I probably should doing this. So… I don’t mind going for quite awhile.”

“It really isn’t,” Cerys shook her head slightly while she laid in her comfortable position, crossing one of her legs over the other. “It’s one of those things everyone has to learn. Maybe one day I will. For now though, I’ve got some pretty important things on my plate and a lot of people to look after, at least once I’m sure I won’t drown trying to get back home.”

She learned a bit more about West Fiore while Raven stalled to figure out a question to answer without also adding in an awkward silence. Then he decided on a question, apparently, asking about fun stories, since she was the Ace and all. He felt the need to add on that he was having a lot more fun than he should, which was an odd way to word that, since she didn’t recall putting any limits on how much fun he could have.

“Well, yeah, I’ve got plenty of stories. Thanks for making me feel old for saying that. I'm only twenty, you know. Anyway, most are from before I was apparently Ace material. I’m not the most sturdy wizard out there, in case you can’t tell by looking, so I learned to fight smart and not get hit as much.” The fact she divulged just then wasn’t actually tied to a story. She was stalling as well at that point. “Well, there was one time when I took a job for a wealthy young woman. I thought I’d be smart and be able to track her boyfriend she was convinced was cheating on her.”

Cerys sat up again, crossing her legs and adjusting her jacket. “Turns out he wasn’t. He was actually involved in the crimes that were going on in the area, so he was never home because he was stealing stuff. I… kinda had to put a stop to that. It turned out he was a guildless wizard who was a lot stronger than fourteen year old me, so it took a lot to bring him down even with my magic. I nearly went down before him. I should have had people helping me, but I figured it’d be easy to track a cheating boyfriend, you know?”

“To be fair I’m like… 22 I think,” Raven countered with a small chuckle. Then he grinned at her and shrugged. “I’ll be an old man before I know it I’m sure. I’m not so worried about it though. I’ve heard rugged is a good look once I’m older.”

Then he went silent and listened to her story. She made it sound like her magic was a little on the special side. Which could be said about all magic, but he felt like she was implying more. She didn’t smell like a dragon slayer though. He would know that smell anywhere now. Her power and scent were both an enigma to him, though she gave off the vibe of being trustworthy.

At the end of his story he had to chuckle a little. Underestimating an opponent as a hot shot teen. That was him… He was so guilty of that. But that hadn’t been bad. He learned from it and he had met someone special because of it.

“Yeah, it’s easy to think a job’ll be easy,” Raven said finally. He stretched his left leg out, and rested his right arm on his right knee. “But, there’s a saying among the h… people I’ve come across. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Even if you lose a fight, as long as you survive you can come back for round two. I prefer not having things run into round two though.”

“That saying’s stupid,” Cerys told Raven with a chuckle when he told her that whatever didn’t kill you made you stronger. “It’s what people say when they want to look on the bright side of something bad, but trust me… not everything that doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. You’ve got to do the work yourself, not hope someone else or some other event beyond your control will do it for you.” She thought of the time she had nearly killed someone because her blood hunger had driven her to nearly listen to the mysterious figure that had once plagued her when she was at her worst. She didn’t actually sound upset, she sounded like she was having a good time despite her words. “It’s a nice thought though. You can learn from lost fights if you’re willing to see the things you did wrong.”

Cerys chuckled, still in a good mood even if she disagreed with the saying. Things had picked up since she’d dried off. “I’m not sure what to ask a mysterious guy like you. Well, not after what I’ve asked. I’m not one to pry. Just about all I’d feel comfortable asking would be about your magic or your own fighting abilities or stories I suppose.” She placed her arms behind her head in a semi-relaxed position as her hair fell back in front of her right eye. She didn’t seem to mind at this point, looking at him with her left in a sort of bored interest. She wasn’t one to sit still, which was one reason she was chosen as Ace. She didn’t have a lot of choice in here. Not that she wasn’t having fun talking to Raven.

“If you’re doing it right,” Raven countered with a slightly cocky grin on his face. He spoke in a knowing tone as he looked over at her. “Then you’ve survived by your own strength. And you’ve gotten stronger by your own strength. It should never be about someone else. It should always be about how you handle it afterwards. That’s what I’ve learned anyway.”

“You can pry,” Raven shrugged afterwards, dropping the grin. He looked to the side taking on a quieter tone. He knew he had to be open and honest with friends. But there was some things he just couldn’t talk about. “But I can’t talk about everything. Some are not my secrets to share.”

With that admission out of the way he gave a small shrug. “I don’t have a fighting style per se. It’s improvised street fighting while mixing my magic into it. If it weren’t for the magic, I’d fight like you’re average thug. Which is ironic since it’s those people I beat up when they cause trouble… I bet if I had the time I could pick up an actual martial art and figure out how to mix my magic into it. But well… Things move so fast nowadays it seems.”

“A lot of wizards make things up as they go,” Cerys admitted, putting her palms next to each other on the floor in front of her and leaning forward a bit. “I did the same thing. I focus more on my magic than a martial arts style, but I’ve developed effective techniques along the way.” Her one visible eye appraised Raven again. She was grinning, interested in swapping stories about fighting and whatnot. She just wasn’t tired enough to sleep yet, or she might have done that instead.

Cerys’s eye searched Raven’s face for a second as she thought of something. Specifically, she was wondering what to ask about him and his magic. “Fire magic can’t make that butterfly shape,” she told him with certainty. “I’ve never heard of fire make, since fire’s almost unshapable, at least that finely. You’ve got something special, don’t you?” She didn’t ask what kind of special. She wasn’t even sure what she would expect if she asked. After all, she hardly knew anything about dragon slayers; Blue Pegasus had none that she knew about. The only one she’d heard of was some Spell Breaker, but she’d never met her. She’d barely heard anything about her in the last couple of years.

“It can’t?” Raven blinked in surprise when his magic was questioned. He honestly thought with enough training anyone could mold flame into a shape like that. Well, that was something he shouldn’t do in front of others again. He mentally cursed and shrugged. “I suppose it is.”

That was the only thing he really said about it. He rested the back of his head on the pillar as thunder flashed. In that moment his eyes seemed to glow an ethereal orange. He decided to add more as an afterthought. “Father was powerful. And he trained me to be strong. If nothing else, his training was special.”

He went silent at that point as he closed his eyes. He didn’t want to seem like he was dodging on such a seemingly important question, but at the same token he had to. But was it right to hide it still? That’s what blew things up with him and Kotone… Would it blow up with Cerys? He hoped not. It was hard to talk about the one thing he was asked to keep secret. He owed Draco that much, right? After all he wouldn’t be alive, or who he was now if Draco hadn’t.

Cerys kept her head tilted curiously. Her visible eye looked him over, then around the room before she scooted back to the wall by the fireplace, wrapping her arms around her legs as she drew her knees up to her chest. She had a nagging feeling this was one of those things he couldn’t tell her, but he wasn’t simply going to say that. He was just too vague about it. “Maybe you’re just the most talented fire wizard I know then,” she told him after a moment.

The Ace sighed as she looked off to the side slightly. She probably shouldn’t pry too much anyway. It wasn’t like she was volunteering to show him her own magic. What would he do if she did? She wondered. Cerys looked back at him, but was immediately distracted by the loudest crack of thunder yet. It sounded like it had been right next to the building, or possibly even on the building itself. She jumped a bit – not out of fear, but out of not really expecting it. She’d stopped noticing the storm before that.

“So why aren’t you part of a guild?” she asked him. She’d always been curious why people wouldn’t want to have the support a guild brought. She disliked dark guilds, but even they brought a sense of camaraderie people needed, she was sure. It was just the wrong kind of people to get that feeling from. “I mean, I suppose I’ve never understood what the appeal is of not having support and friends. I grew up with my six sisters, so I’ve never really been alone for long.”

“I could be,” Raven chuckled quietly. He also twitched when the lightning struck. He scrunched his nose at the sudden mix of ozone and burnt moss that was so faint it was unlikely Cerys could pick it up. This was indeed a fearsome storm. He was glad he hadn’t let his pride get the better of him this time.

That’s when she asked why he wasn’t in a guild. This earned a small sigh as his tone took on a slightly more firm inflection. “There’s a lot of reasons. The main one being my father. He… cared for people. A lot. So before he left he asked me to try to be a guiding light for humanity.”

“I didn’t want to join any organization because that becomes a conflict of interest,” He continued with a small shrug. “Each guild has it’s own reason for fighting and being. And while those reasons aren’t bad, it would be too limited for me to do what I need to do. I would be bound by what the guild believes in if I joined one.”

He left out the part about not liking them. Riling up the ace of a guild that he was about to visit for information seemed like a bad idea. Raven was normally one who enjoyed indulging bad ideas. But he knew better when he needed to. “Besides… I was taught to be self reliant. The only one I could rely on left me on my own to take care of something important he needed to. And my attempts to lean on people since then have ended poorly.”

“A lot of reasons, huh?” Cerys lowered her head slightly, her bangs resting on her knees for a moment. He was one of those types. She’d kind of figured that already after him saying he had no friends. Basically, he didn’t trust people enough, and he was using his mission as an excuse. No guild would forbid him from going after his own goals, after all. “Guilds aren’t as strict as you seem to think,” she chuckled before looking back up at him. “I’ve visited all three at times, and they’re all relaxed in their own way. Each has a different feel to it though - especially Fairy Tail.” They were an interesting bunch. Cerys hardly disliked them, but they were the loudest, roughest group, while Blue Pegasus generally felt the most refined. Cerys enjoyed the setting, though she didn’t exactly fit it perfectly.

The raven-haired girl was silent for a moment as she thought. She probably shouldn’t try to get him to join after a statement like that, though Blue Pegasus could use a fire wizard with talent like he seemed to have. Especially since they were getting involved with a ‘wanted’ group of people. “If you ever get the urge though, you’ll know where to find me,” she told him with a grin. “I’ll put in a good word with Master Jora.” She didn’t expect him to take the bait, but she was the Ace, and should probably show they would extend their arms to him as well if he ever desired.

“Heh…” Raven chuckled slightly when she talked about the guilds. All he could really respond with was a shrug. They sounded like they were fun for people not raised to be alone and who apparently had trouble connecting. Her offer made him raise an eyebrow. He didn’t really see himself joining a guild, even if he got better about things.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Raven said not really committing one way or the other. He’d been wrong about so much already that he didn’t want to just commit to no. But at the same time, he was hesitant to just flip the table and change everything at once. He would try this friendship thing again and, if that went anywhere, he would worry about whether joining a guild was a good idea or not.

“So… What’s your guild like?” He asked grasping at questions. He’d forgotten who’s turn it was, and so he just rolled with what came to mind. “I’ve been to all of them over the last couple years. But I’m sure the atmosphere is different when there’s not outsiders who aren’t part of the family around. ...Er… Not trying to sound antagonistic or anything. I’m probably worrying about nothing. And rambling again....”

Raven was noncommittal. It could have been worse. He could openly despise the idea, despite obviously wanting to connect to people. He didn’t seem to grasp how much easier it would be in an environment where joining pretty much instantly meant someone was one of the family. If he didn’t grasp that though, he wouldn’t understand any better if she tried to explain it. Feelings weren’t something people could properly convey, after all. “The door’s always open,” she told him with a slightly exaggerated shrug.

Cerys was starting to get restless, as was evident in the ways she’d been moving around the last few minutes. Eventually, she hopped up with an athletic roll, standing and putting her hands in her pockets. “Blue Pegasus? Like any family it’s a bit hard to explain, at least to me,” she decided, finally pushing her hair out of her right eye. “I dunno. Most people are pretty genuine. Fairy Tail is roudy and genuine, Lamia Scale is calm and casual, and Blue Pegasus… well, officially we have a reputation for being on the fancier side, though when your guild master is a former model with lots of modeling jewels and her last Ace is someone who wore suits all the time… it’s hard to shake that assumption, huh?”

The new Ace tugged at her own jacket. “The hall itself may be made like a mansion, but the building blocks – that is to say the people – come from all walks of life. Even if it attracts people from the richer side of things, many of them dress and act more casual. I can tell you right now we probably drink more wine than the other guilds,” she decided with a wink. “And some of us… don’t exactly fit in with properly polite society. But if you’re part of the guild, you’re family. Even if someone doesn’t get along, any of us would give our lives for anyone else. That goes doubly true for me.”

Cerys looked around since she was feeling fidgety, moving her feet a bit and adjusting her stance. “Blue Pegasus’s general focus is on keeping people safe and happy, able to enjoy the life they choose to pursue without too much drama, and with the support people need. At least, that’s what I always got out of it. It extends to those around us as well. We try to solve problems, and that includes keeping Fiore safe, not just our own. It’s why we’re helping the Council with their rogue problem. It’s a problem that could get a lot of people hurt, and no one wants that.”

“...I see…” Raven closed his eyes and took a full minute to process the information just handed at him. So that confirmed the rumors he’d heard about Blue Pegasus. The fact that the ace said they supported the Loyalists did confirm a lot of things for him. “I was eventually going to ask about that.”

“I don’t know what having a family is like,” Raven admitted as he rubbed the back of his head slowly. “There was me and my father but… I… I can’t really describe it. The relationship isn’t what I’ve seen normal families have. But then again, I don’t really seem to know much about all that stuff. I might know what it’s like and simply don’t know that I know.”

“I’ll be honest,” He continued quietly. “I was on my way to Blue Pegasus. I was out of the loop for awhile and wasn’t here when the Council split and Shadow Heart attacked. When I came back, Fiore was divided and ripe for an invasion. Families have been pit against each other, and people are taking advantage of everything. So I was asking around about what happened, and other details related to it all. I’m not in control of guild, or a group. I can’t just kick open a door and say fix things. But I can find the source of the problem and root it out. That’s what I’ve done every other time.”

The source, huh? Cerys’s stance became a little less relaxed as she spread her feet apart a bit, though she had her arms crossed. So he was coming to Blue Pegasus to ask around because he was playing hero. Fiore did need heroes, so that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Cerys closed her eyes for a short moment, letting out a sigh. “The source? The source is simple,” she informed Raven. “The source is people who were power hungry and didn’t care who they stepped on to get what they wanted. Both of these new groups of trouble makers are claiming they should rule Fiore for different reasons though.”

Cerys tapped her arm, a bit agitated at the thought. She was personally invested in a lot of this because she had to protect her friends from people who wanted to hurt them simply for wanting to be a part of a guild and have people to support them. No matter what reason they claimed, they were wrong. Cerys closed her eyes again, trying to not get overly worked up. “Some Shadow Lord from Shadow Heart thinks he should be in charge of things by virtue of not being the people currently in charge, from what I can tell. On the other side, some woman with the last name of Tallison thought the Council wasn’t being hard enough on people and declared those who weren’t supporting her as traitors and started crap.”

Cerys shrugged. “Beyond that, I’ve been cracking a few skulls and seeing what I could find out for my own next move. I’m not just going to sit around and let harm come to us again. I know it could have been a lot worse, but I need people to be able to sleep at night without worrying something bad will happen to them.”